TLC cancels ‘Kate Plus Eight’

Ratings for the show have dipped below 1 million

The show that launched a thousand tabloid cover stories is being decommissioned: TLC’s “Kate Plus Eight” (formerly “Jon and Kate Plus Eight”) has been canceled by the network.

Ratings for the show have fallen off from the show’s viewership heyday, which coincided with the messy and very public divorce of Jon and Kate Gosselin, parents of the show’s twins and sextuplets. Total viewers had dipped below 1 million in recent weeks.

The announcement seemed to surprise more than just the series’ fans. “Nobody has told me” about the cancellation, Kate Gosselin told Ann Curry on NBC’s “Today” on Aug. 8.

TLC said it “hopes to check in with Kate and the family periodically with specials in the future,” but mentioned no specific commitments along those lines as of yet.